ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) Short Interest Update

ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 342,300 shares, an increase of 30.0% from the October 31st total of 263,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 113,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESCO Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 70,387 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $9,079,000 after acquiring an additional 5,874 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,850 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $144,204,000 after purchasing an additional 16,152 shares in the last quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter worth about $942,000. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of ESCO Technologies by 53.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,043 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,682,000 after buying an additional 4,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 13,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $148.41 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.31. ESCO Technologies has a 12 month low of $96.69 and a 12 month high of $154.00. The company has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.67 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $133.54 and its 200-day moving average is $120.47.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ESE shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com lowered shares of ESCO Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of ESCO Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th.

About ESCO Technologies

ESCO Technologies Inc produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines.